Student relates his ordeal at gunpoint

A College sophomore and former Daily Pennsylvanian reporter was robbed at gunpoint at 3900 Chestnut Street late Friday night, University Police said yesterday. Damon Chetson said he had just exited the 7-11 convenience store located at the corner of 38th and Chestnut streets when two men outside the store asked him for money. Chetson replied that he did not have any money, and continued walking in the direction of his home, located in the 3900 block of Chesnut Street. One of the men followed him, put an arm on his shoulder, and repeated a request for money, Chetson said. The man asked Chetson to empty his pockets. "Don't do this to me," Chetson replied. The man pulled a small, silver handgun out of his coat and showed it to the student as they passed in front of the Hamilton Court apartments. Chetson said he complied with the request for money but was only able to produce two dollars, his PennCard, a check for $92 and a MAC card. The man, not believing that Chetson had emptied his pockets completely, became angry and repeated requests for money, Chetson said. Chetson relinquished the two six-packs of Coca-Cola he had purchased at the 7-11. The armed man took one of the six-packs for himself and handed the second to his companion. At that point, the companion asked the armed assailant to leave Chetson alone, but the man refused. "We're going to go for a walk," the gunman told Chetson. With the hand holding the gun in his pocket and his arm around Chetson's shoulder, the man began to chastize Chetson for making the holdup too complicated, Chetson said. Chetson and his assailant walked to the MAC machines located at 40th and Chesnut streets. The man demanded the student's personal identification number, then searched through his account. He became angry when he found that the account did not contain any money. Chetson said he had deposited $500 into the account earlier in the week, but that the check had not cleared. The man became angry and demanded that Chetson immediately cash his $92 check. After Chetson convinced the man that this was impossible, the two left the MAC center and walked toward Market Street. Chetson said that the man stopped on the dark street, and that thoughts of death ran through his head. The man started to hand Chetson his valuables back, then changed his mind. The two returned to the MAC machine, where the assailant searched the account for a second time. The man then asked Chetson to endorse the $92 check. He turned to his right and asked an unknowing MAC security guard if he could borrow a pen, Chetson said. The student endorsed the check. "If you report this, I'm going to shoot you," the man said. With this ominous warning, the man fled north on 40th Street toward Market, carrying the six-pack of soda. According to Chetson, the suspect is a 5' 8" black man. He was wearing a blue coat on the night of the incident. Chetson said he remembers that the gunman's eyes were abnormally bloodshot. He said University Police speculated that the man had been either drunk or on drugs. Chetson said that he still worries when he walks alone outside late at night, and that he will avoid venturing out of his home after 10 p.m. during the next week. Chetson added that the incident was especially ironic because he is a former crime beat reporter. "I had never thought it was going to happen to me," he said.